


Hurt, Comfort, and new opportunities

by Mmjohns



Series: KarLena stories by MMJOHNS [32]
Category: Karlena - Fandom, Supergirl (TV 2015), supercorp - Fandom
Genre: Alex is a bitch but not really, F/F, Other, So So OC, SuperCorp, karlena
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2018-10-05 23:56:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10320497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mmjohns/pseuds/Mmjohns
Summary: Karlena fic for after Kara gets fired. it is really not fluffy. if you like Sanvers this is not for youwarnings for abandonment





	1. Cat Grant`s Return

**Author's Note:**

> So, fair warning, this goes from light and fluffy in places to angst AF. There is a little of Alex/Kara conflict, but overall it resolves itself relatively quickly. Fair warning this is NOT a Sanvers friendly fic. It didn't start that way, rather it just happened.

Abject terror, now there was a feeling that Lucas Carr hadn't felt in a while. He had interviewed CEOs, presidents, dictators, and superheroes. But never, had he felt such abject terror as he does right now. The source of that terror?

Catherine Grant

"You did what?" Cat asks ice lacing her tone

"Come on Cat, I had no choice; she broke her contract. I had to fire her."

Cat looks utterly incensed "So let me get this straight, Kara came to you with a story."

"Yes."

"A story directly from Supergirl?" she asks her voice telling in of itself this isn't going to go well 

"Yes."

"And you told her what?" She asks and even though you're about the same height she makes you feel 2 feet tall

"That she needed more sources than Supergirl."

"So she brought Supergirl here to be interviewed?"

"Yes."

"And Supergirl confirmed the story?"

"Yes, but…"

"And what did you do?"

"I told her I wouldn't run it."

"And this story, did Kara think it was important ?"

"Yes."

"And did you know what she was going to do?"

"Well…Yes…. I suspected… I…"

And if Cat was terrifying before there aren't words for how she looks now "Well then Mr Carr, I will give you a choice: option número uno call Kara and give her her job back, or option two, I fire you and then rehire Kara myself."

And yet Lucas still decides to stick his foot into his mouth "You can't be serious Cat."

"I am perfectly serious; Kara is the best assistant I ever had. She lasted two whole years. The longest someone ever lasted besides her was two days. She is in direct contact with Supergirl, do you have any idea how much of Catco's yearly profit is made there? 16%, she pays for this entire department just being a source of exclusives from Supergirl. Hell I call Bruce Wayne, and he asks after her personally, she is better connected than anyone else I have ever met, myself included. You better hope for your sake no one else has hired her, or you'll find yourself in custodial services reporting to Robert on which toilets to clean."


	2. Chapter 2

What is the most painful thing you can think of? 

The loss of a family member? 

The pain of losing a lover?

A broken heart?

Lena has felt all these things and more, she has seen the very depths of pain, of despair, she has stared into the void and seen it stare back. But the most painful thing she has ever experienced is not what you might expect. The most painful thing she has ever felt was the pain that she felt when she saw Kara brokenly crying on her couch, her eyes red and puffy, her cheeks tear stained, her nose reddened, her glasses askew. Nothing, not the broken bones inflicted by her father, not the sharpened barbs thrown by her mother, not even the assassins bullets hurt as much as this.

 

Nothing hurts more than the knowledge that she is the cause of Kara's pain, especially when Kara looks so broken. As she watches Kara sob into the blanket she has wrapped around her she can no longer see the glimmering halo that the woman normally holds, this was Lena's mortal sin, she stole this woman's light.

She'll be damned if she lets this continue. "Hey Kara" she says closing the door loudly behind her. 

Kara practically jumps as she turns in her shock, a small burst of heat vision narrowly missing Lena. Lena just ignores it long having figured out this particular truth. She sets down a giant bag of food on the kitchen bench "come on, I brought dinner"

"Thanks Lena, but I'm not really hungry" Kara says looking down at her hands

Lena simply stands there and waits for Kara to look at her. When she does Lena raises a solitary eyebrow in a look of disbelief watching as the tiniest of smiles graces Kara's lips she says "now I don't believe that for a second, I've seen you eat my dear"

Kara's smile seems to dim as she thinks over the food, what she struggles to say next has Lena's heart breaking "I can't…. I can't pay you back"

Lena crosses the space in moments "Kara, look at me" when Kara looks up she sees the intense look in Lena's eyes as she says "Kara, I don't want you to pay me back. I make more money in one year than I could spend in a lifetime. All I want from you is to be your friend, ok?" At Kara's slight nod she smiles brightly, "good, now come on, I have way to much food and you have to help me Kara Danvers. I won't take no for an answer"

"Zor-El" Kara mumbles under her breath

"Sorry Darling, what was that?" Lena asks unsurely 

"My name, it's Kara Zor-El"

"Ok then Kara Zor-El, hurry up and help me eat all this before it goes cold"

 

 

"I can't believe you just did that"

"What?"

"Heat visioned your Pad Thai, is that really safe?"

"Yeah, Eliza checked a while back, it comes in really handy at thanksgiving"

"I imagine it does" Lena says looking at Kara shovelling the food into her mouth. When she has finished the container she asks "hey Kara"

"Hmm" Kara mumbles inquisitively around a mouthful of food

"You don't have to answer, it's just, why did Snapper fire you?" When Kara takes a moment to answer Lena assumes the worst "shit, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked, I…"

Kara reaches out to pull Lena's hands into her own "it's ok, you just caught me off guard. He, he said that by posting that on my twitter using a Catco verified account I breeched contract. He wasn't going to run it, I had no choice, so many people could have died" Kara's eyes begin to well up. In a move that Lena doesn't even realise she is doing until it is done she pulls Kara into her lap and begins stroking through her hair. When Kara eventually calms Lena asks "hey Kara, what if I had a job for you"

"Lena, you can't, that's, that's illegal"

"No it's not, you used to be Cat Grants assistant right?"

"Lena"

"Hear me out, ok?" At Kara's nod she continues "my head of PR quit recently something about there not being enough money in the world to put up with the constant attacks against both me and L-corp. I know what Cat had you doing, I know that from the day you began working there the number of lawsuits against Cat for misconduct dropped by 80%. I also know that you are one of the best connected people in the country, if not the world. That alone makes you perfect as my PR head."

"But Lena, I'm a… I was a reporter…"

"And that makes you perfect, because people will know that you are in it for the truth, I trust you Kara and that's not something I can say about very many people , please, at least consider it"

"I'll think about it"


	3. Chapter 3

It takes three days for Kara to come to a decision. Unsurprisingly it is Alex who pushes her into making a decision when she turns up unannounced.

"Kara, why the hell didn’t you tell me you were fired" Alex practically yells as she bangs into the room

"Alex?" Kara groans out groggily from her pillow fort

"Don't you 'Alex' me Kara Zor-El. What the hell is this about you getting yourself fired?"

"Alex, can't we do this later, I really don't…"

"No Kara, do you have any idea how embarrassing it was for me to walk into Catco thinking I was going to take my girlfriend to see my sister and have lunch. Only to have security throw me out of the building because you don't work there anymore. I can't believe you didn't tell me. How difficult is it to say 'hey Alex, don't bother stopping by Catco, I don't work there anymore'."

And for the second time in her life Kara snaps, she can feel the rage sweeping over her and for once she has had it, she has had it with people judging her "how difficult is it?! Really Alex?! I haven't seen you in weeks, and when I do you are too busy talking about Maggie."

"No I'm not I…"

"'Oh Kara you should have seen it, last night Maggie. Oh Kara Maggie looks so good in a suit. Oh Kara Maggie bought me vegan ice cream and I…' I love you Alex and don't get me wrong I love that you found someone to have a life with. But you haven't been there for me in months. You don't just get to walk in here and berate me because you got a little embarrassed. You're embarrassed? how the hell do you think I felt? Oh that's right you wouldn't know because you weren't there"

"It's my apartment, you're my sister of course I get to walk in here I…"

"Well not anymore, this is your apartment then fine, have it, I'm leaving I'll be back for my things later"

Alex realises what has just happened "Kara wait…" but Kara has already gone.

 

 

The last thing Lena had expected when she had gotten home for the evening was for there to be a sobbing Kryptonian at her door, and yet the moment she sees Kara everything she had planned flew out the window. Eventually she manages to calm Kara down enough to understand what happened never mind the fact that Kara hasn't stopped speaking Kryptonian since she entered. Luckily Lena was the sister of one of the worlds most Kryptonian focused super villains and had learnt the language some years earlier. When she finally manages to calm Kara down enough to finish the story she is infuriated, she knows that Kara's sister is obviously a little distracted by her new girlfriend but this is beyond ridiculous. "You're staying here" she tells Kara in Kryptonian having made up her mind

Kara seems shocked as she says "no… Lena…. I can't…. I…"

"I'm not accepting no for an answer Kara… you can bring your things here, there's plenty of space and I love having you around"

"But what if you get tired of me, like Alex and the others" Kara asks in a small voice

Lea wishes to burn those who had hurt Kara to ash and when she gets to the office tomorrow she very well might but instead she says "Kara, Darling, I will never get tired of you, I promise"

"That's what they all say" Kara says depressedly

'Fuck it' Lena decides knowing that now is the moment to lay her cards flat "Kara, I love you ok? I have since the moment I saw you. I promise the only way I'm going anywhere is if you tell me to"

Kara has tears in her eyes as she asks "you really mean that?"

"I do"

Kara surges forward to kiss Lena who pulls back after a few moments "not like this Kara, I want to do this properly, ok?"

Kara blushes heavily as she nods her head, and then she asks "hey Lena?"

"Yes Darling?"

Is that job still available?"

Lena smiles as she says "for you my Darling, always"

 

 

The next week was spent moving Kara into Lena's apartment and getting her up to speed with her new job. Lena had insisted that she was going to be the one to get Kara moved in and up to speed. She had pushed back nearly all of her meetings for the entire week. Lena was determined to show Kara that no matter what the past might have shown her that Lena would always have time for her. She even set Kara up in a office right beside her own so that if there were any emergencies no one would see her leave, that and she just likes having Kara near.

By the end of the week Kara is caught up and has taken charge of the PR department in a way few are suited to, quickly and efficiently bringing the entire department into line. Even those who had assumed she got the job because of her ties to Lena were forced to admit Kara had skills like no other. 

 

Within two weeks she had weeded out the employees who were secretly working for someone else on the side, be they Cadmus, or the Daily Planet. In a little over two weeks HR had orders to fire 22 employees for violation of the NDAs and corporate espionage. And those that were seeking a way to tear Lena and L-corp down were forced to look for other ways.

 

On the home front Lena and Kara had only grown closer, Lena was determined that just because they were living and working together she wasn't going to let the romance side of things wane. She had been throwing a lot of work into making sure Kara knew exactly how she felt. Kara for her part was loving it, she had never felt quite like this, sure she had a family in the Danvers' but as time had proven again and again, she wasn't truly one of them. With Lena it was different, Lena chose her, she wasn't forced upon her. And whilst Kara knows that Alex and J'onn are going to have an aneurysm, she can't deny the truth:

she's falling for Lena Luthor.


	4. Chapter 4

"Lucus! Come in here" Cat yells from the bull pen

'Oh shit' he thinks while asking "yes Cat"

"I've just gotten off the phone with Ms Luthor, as it turns out she hired Kara to run her PR department…"

"Now Ms Grant I…"

"Report to Robert, as I understand it there's a toilet down in public relations that needs some attention. I warned you Mr Carr"


	5. Chapter 5

The first speed bump comes three weeks later in the form of Alex, thus far Alex has been avoiding Kara like the plague ever since the incident at Kara's former apartment. But apparently J'onn has grown tired of it and decided to throw them together on a mission to force them to work things out.

Things don't go as planned.

It started out fine, great even, Alex apologising for what she had said, for not being there and Kara forgiving her, because as much as sometimes she wants to murder her, Alex is still her sister. It goes great until Alex asks where she is living and working. Kara doesn't want to lie to her sister and tells her the truth, she is living with Lena and has taken a job at L-corp.

 

Alex doesn't take it well. Actually that's an understatement, Alex freaks out. 

 

Kara has always known Alex didn't trust Lena, but some of the things Alex says they surprise Kara. The thought that her sister dislikes Lena so much, it doesn't sit right with her. Especially when Alex implies that Lena is taking advantage of Kara's situation.

Kara loses it. She doesn't even know when it happens maybe it's when Alex says that all Lena wants is Supergirl under her control, maybe it's when she suggests that Kara just has a thing for powerful women, but the truth is this. It doesn't matter because the fire that lights in Kara's belly puts everything she has ever felt before to shame. 

 

On Krypton there were rules regarding mates, who could bond with who, how old they had to be, when they were allowed to meet. To many in the universe this seemed like an archaic caste system in a technologically advanced society. The truth was there was a reason that such rules existed. Kryptonians mate for life, much like penguins do, and the truth is this: there is nothing you could do worse than to threaten or harm a Kryptonian's mate.

And what Alex is doing right now has Kara's biology kicking into overdrive. She hadn't realised that, that was how she saw Lena yet, but Kara knows it the moment she feels the rage in her belly. A Kryptonian can often manage to bond to their perfect match and have no knowledge of it whatsoever, not until something like this rises. And now Kara is furious part of her knows it's not Alex's fault, part of her knows that this is her biology, but part of her just doesn't care. And that's how she finds herself flying away from the DEO having told J'onn that they were done.

 

 

Lena's furious at first, and Kara fears that for a moment she is going to leave, to cut all ties and just go, but instead Lena seems to freeze mid conversation and then she is sitting beside Kara; her hands holding Kara's as she asks just what caused Kara to get so angry.

Kara considers lying, saying she doesn't know, but the look in Lena's eyes, one of hope and understanding . She knows the truth, Lena knows. And so she tells her, she tells Lena why she became so infuriated. She tells Lena that she loves her.

Lena cries

Kara takes her into her arms as Lena cries, her tears stain her cheeks as she realises that someone actually loves her. Not the love Lillian offered, filled with hidden demands and silent threats. But true love, pure and unadulterated where all Kara expects is to be loved in return. 

She kisses Kara, even as the tears stream down her face she kisses Kara and lets all the pent up feelings that she has been holding tight empty into the kiss. They pull apart when there is a sharp knock at the door both breathing heavily. Kara lowers her glasses and goes as stiff as a board. 

 

Lena sees the look on Kara's face and immediately knows "it's Alex isn't it?"

Kara nods

"Do you want to talk to her?"

Kara shakes her head

"Would you like me to?"

Kara nods again

"Ok, I'll talk to your sister, do you want to get started on dinner?"

"Sure," Kara says moving quickly toward the kitchen then suddenly she is by Lena's side again pressing a kiss to her cheek "thank you"

"Anything for you my love"

 

 

"Where is she" Alex growls trying to force her way into Lena's apartment.

"Agent Danvers, a pleasure to see you again, how are things?" Lena says pressing her body into the doorway to block the angry agent

"Cut the bullshit Luthor, where's my sister" Alex snaps

"I'm sorry, but Kara doesn't want to speak to you right now" Lena says giving her finest 'and we all know why' expression

"I swear to god, I will kick this door down if you don't move" Alex says shooting a glare her way

"Agent Danvers, I suggest you stop right there, before you do something you regret"

"Oh yeah, and why is that"

"The consul general of the U.K. Owns this building, everything and everyone in it is as such granted diplomatic immunity, you have no authority over me here"

"Fine, but I swear the moment you leave this building I will arrest you and then drop you in the deepest darkest hole I can find…"

 

 

Suddenly Alex is soaring out of the building until she finds herself and Kara atop a nearby mountain 

"What the hell Alex?" Kara asks hands on her hips

"Kara I, I just wanted to speak to you"

"And this is how you do it, you come to my home and threaten my mate" Kara asks exasperated 

"Your mate, Kara, you can't be serious" Alex scoffs

"As serious as you and Maggie"

Alex visibly deflates "Maggie and I broke up"

"Shit Alex, I'm sorry, what happened" 

"I caught her and Kate Kane, she didn't even deny it."

"Alex… I'm so sorry"

"It's not your fault, you couldn't know… I'm so so sorry Kara. I just got so caught up in everything I didn't even realise."

"Shh…shh… it's ok"

"I'm, so, so, sorry, I didn't mean any of it, I…"

"It's ok Alex… although what you said to Lena, you owe her an apology, you know that right?"

Alex nods a watery smile before pulling herself together "so you and Lena huh?"

Kara smiles and for the first time in ages things are back to normal.

 

It was awkward for Alex when she returned to Lena's with Kara, luckily Lena could see how much this meant to Kara and let it go, but even then she made it abundantly clear, if it happened again, if Alex abandoned Kara again, Lena would burn her world down. And for once Alex begins to realise just how close the pair have grown these last few months


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning Kara awakens with a happy smile on her face as she remembers the previous night. She smiles at the way Alex had finally given Lena a chance and much to her surprise realised that she and the youngest Luthor had more in common than she had ever imagined. For a good part of the night they had talked and geeked out together and Alex had apologised for putting her baggage on them.

 

It is this thought that brings a darkened cloud to Kara's morning as she lays there next to Lena. Even now she can hear the pained heartbeat of her sister in her home across the city as she packs away all reminders of the life she had been building with Maggie. 

It's when she hears the muffled sob that Alex tries to choke back that she makes a decision.

She had warned Maggie the consequences of breaking her sister’s heart and she had gone and done it anyway. But as much as Kara wants to throw Maggie into the sky watching as she floats off into space she knows she can't. Instead she makes up her mind to do something a little more extreme.

 

She slips into the living room where her things lay and she takes out the Comms device Cisco had made and she activates it sending a short transmission to Earth One. 5 minutes later she is sitting there cooking a massive amount of food when a portal appears in their living room and there stands Sara Lance smiling as she says "you called Supes"


	7. Holy Time Travelling Space Gay Batman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies to any readers who have been waiting. I’m in the final year of a degree and it takes its toll. I’ll try to write when it’s possible but it will unfortunately only be drips and drabs as possible

Saying that it was a surprise to find a leather clad blonde sitting in her kitchen at 7am in the morning would be a bit of an understatement. Lena’s not going to lie, it’s not like she hasn’t had the thought about a certain blonde clad in leather, except the problem here is this isn’t that blonde. This isn’t Kara sitting at her kitchen bench clad in leather, no this is some unknown woman who it appears has somehow managed to bypass the best security on the planet and appears to be eating a bowl of fruit loops while laughing with Kara as Kara makes pancakes.

It only takes moments however before Kara has noticed her standing there and speeds over. Quickly kissing Lena she says in an excited voice “Lena, come meet Sara!” Then in a more controlled and secretive tone she says “she’s here to help with our detective problem”

Lena can’t help but laugh at the fact Kara sounds so much like a mob boss before she offers her hand to Sara saying “it’s good to meet you Sara, Kara has told me quite a bit about you”

Sara smirks as she stands and shakes Lena’s hand saying “she has told me quite a bit about you too, although you’re much prettier than she let on”

“Oh shush you” Kara says with a brilliant blush on her face as she shoves Sara lightly. Her blush only gets deeper as she watches Sara tople over the nearby counter with a groan “oops” she says sheepishly and Lena for her part can’t help but laugh.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for mentions of alcohol abuse  
> Also as a point of clarification the couch is the one in Kara’s old appartment, Alex kept it and the apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for mentions of alcohol abuse  
> Also as a point of clarification the couch is the one in Kara’s old appartment, Alex kept it and the apartment.

Ok, so it wasn’t exactly her proudest moment waking up hungover on her sister’s couch in an apartment halfway across the city from her own. However, honestly, Alex, she’s had worse mornings. That is until she manages to fall off the couch onto her face. She could just tell right then this wasn’t going to be anywhere close to a good morning. She barely manages to stagger to her feet before she finds herself running to the bathroom. Honestly she doesn’t know what burns worse, the taste of bile as she retches, or the pain in her chest as the memories of Maggie return.

Honestly this is why she has spent so much of her life in the bottom of a bottle, it is so much easier to ignore and forget when you can barely remember your own name. So much easier to bury your feelings beneath layers and layers of drunken bravado so that it doesn’t hurt. But she knows it’s not healthy, she knows it’s not just herself that she’s hurting and subconsciously she knows that’s why she had shown up at Lena’s last night. She knew deep down Kara would help, she knew no matter how much of a bitch she might have been that Kara would always help, even if she doesn’t deserve it.

She sits there for several minutes just looking into the bowl, her head pounding, her body in revolt. She can’t help but think back to the previous few months since she met Maggie, she feels her eyes start to tear up. She doesn’t cry for Maggie, no she won’t shed another tear for her, not for the woman who had claimed to love her but betrayed her. Instead she cries for the woman she calls sister and the pain she has brought her. She cries for the little alien girl who had looked at Alex like she hung the stars. She cries for the sole survivor who had sought comfort in her arms. She cries for the woman who had looked at her heartbroken and betrayed. No she doesn’t cry for Maggie because the pain she feels at that betrayal is nothing compared to the pain she feels from looking into her sister’s eyes and seeing her pain whilst knowing that she was the cause.

Eventually she manages to stagger to her feet and out of the bathroom. She barely steps through the door into the bedroom before memories assail her, memories of Kara and her, sitting on the couch watching movies, snuggled under the blankets hiding from the crash of lightning outside, playing games with their friends. And then the worst memory, the memory of the heartbreak she had caused, the moment where she made her sister choose between her and the woman she loves. She remembers the pain on Kara’s face, the tears that had refused to fall, the anger buried beneath betrayal and then she remembers watching Kara leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I’ve had 3 major assessments in a week and have more on the way. This is only short and quickly proofread so I apologise for any errors in term or consistency. The entire thing will probably be downloaded edited and reuploaded at some stage when I get free time. Unfortunately until then this is the best I can manage

**Author's Note:**

> As always thoughts are appreciated. however, keep in mind I do moderate comments on this sort of material. i have had some very rude people in recent months so I will just say this, constructive criticism is ok, if you just want to bag the story find somewhere else, I won't tolerate it and you will be reported


End file.
